Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Rickman trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), performing in modern and classical theatre productions. His first big television role came in 1982, but his big break was as the Vicomte de Valmont in the RSC stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1985, and after the production transferred to Broadway in 1987 he was nominated for a Tony Award.

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Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was born into a working class family in Hammersmith, London,[4] on 21 February 1946.[5][6] He was the son of Margaret Doreen Rose (née Bartlett),[7][8] a housewife,[6][9] and Bernard William Rickman,[10][11] a factory worker, house painter and decorator, and former World War II aircraft fitter.[6][9][12] Rickman was of Irish and Welsh descent.[13] His father was Catholic and his mother was a Methodist.[14] Rickman had two brothers, David and Michael, and a sister, Sheila.[6] When Rickman was eight years old, his father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise him and his three siblings mostly alone. According to Paton, the family was "rehoused by the council and moved to an Acton estate to the west of Wormwood Scrubs Prison, where his mother struggled to bring up four children on her own by working for the Post Office."[6][15] She married again in 1960, but divorced Rickman's stepfather after three years.[6][14][16]

Before Rickman met Rima Horton at age 19, he stated that his first crush was at 10 years old on a girl named Amanda at his school's sports day.[17] As a child, he excelled at calligraphy and watercolour painting. Rickman attended Derwentwater Primary School in Acton, and then Latymer Upper School in London through the Direct Grant system, where he became involved in drama. After leaving Latymer with science A'levels, he attended Chelsea College of Art and Design from 1965 to 1968[18] and then the Royal College of Art from 1968 to 1970.[19] His training allowed him to work as a graphic designer for the Royal College of Art's in-house magazine, ARK, and the Notting Hill Herald, which he considered a more stable occupation than acting; he later said that drama school "wasn't considered the sensible thing to do at 18".[20][21][22] After graduation, Rickman and several friends opened a graphic design studio called Graphiti, but after three years of successful business, he decided that he was going to pursue acting professionally. He wrote to request an audition with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA),[23] which he attended from 1972 until 1974. While there, he supported himself by working as a dresser for Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Ralph Richardson.[24]

Rickman's role as Hans Gruber in Die Hard earned him a spot on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list as the 46th best villain in film history, though he revealed he almost did not take the role as he did not think Die Hard was the kind of film he wanted to make.[30] His performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – which saw him win the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – also earned him praise as one of the best actors to portray a villain in films.[31][32] In 2018, Empire magazine listed Rickman's portrayals of the Sheriff of Nottingham (number 14) and Hans Gruber (number 4) on their list of the greatest villains of all time, writing;

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Alan Rickman is the only actor to make it onto this Greatest Villains list twice — he does bad deeds with such gusto. Legend has it he kept refusing the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham until it was agreed he could do whatever he liked with it — which, to Kevin Costner’s rumoured chagrin, included stealing the whole damn show. Every sneer, every eye-roll, every flourish of splenetic exasperation is a joy to behold. Whether he’s cancelling Christmas or cutting your heart out with a spoon, Rickman’s crowd-pleasing pantomime villainy is downright heroic.[33]

Rickman directed The Winter Guest at London's Almeida Theatre in 1995 and the film version of the same play, released in 1997, starring Emma Thompson and her real-life mother Phyllida Law.[37] With Katharine Viner, he compiled the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie and directed the premiere production at the Royal Court Theatre, which opened in April 2005. He won the Theatre Goers' Choice Awards for Best Director. Rickman befriended the Corrie family and earned their trust, and the show was warmly received. But the next year, its original New York production was "postponed" over the possibility of boycotts and protests from those who saw it as "anti-Israeli agit-prop". Rickman denounced "censorship born out of fear". Tony Kushner, Harold Pinter and Vanessa Redgrave, among others, criticised the decision to indefinitely delay the show. The one-woman play was put on later that year at another theatre to mixed reviews, and has since been staged at venues around the world.[38]

Rickman was chosen by Empire as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (No. 34) in 1995 and ranked No. 59 in Empire's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in October 1997. In 2009 and 2010, Rickman was ranked once again as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars by Empire, both times placing No. 8 out of the 50 actors chosen. Rickman was elected to the Council of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1993; he was subsequently RADA's vice-chairman and a member of its Artistic Advisory and Training committees and Development Board.[51]

Rickman was voted No. 19 in Empire magazine's Greatest Living Movie Stars over the age of 50 and was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Play): in 1987 for Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and in 2002 for a revival of Noël Coward's Private Lives. The Guardian named Rickman as an "honourable mention" in a list of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[52]

Two researchers, a linguist and a sound engineer, found "the perfect [male] voice" to be a combination of Rickman's and Jeremy Irons' voices based on a sample of 50 voices.[53]

Rickman featured in several musical works, including a song composed by Adam Leonard entitled "Not Alan Rickman".[54] Credited as 'A Strolling Player' in the sleeve notes, the actor played a "Master of Ceremonies" part, announcing the various instruments at the end of the first part of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells II (1992) on the track "The Bell".[55] Rickman was one of the many artists who recited Shakespearian sonnets on the album When Love Speaks (2002), and also featured prominently in a music video by Texas entitled "In Demand", which premiered on Europe MTV in August 2000.[56]

Rickman was an active patron of the research foundation Saving Faces[60] and honorary president of the International Performers' Aid Trust, a charity that works to fight poverty amongst performing artists all over the world.[61] When discussing politics, Rickman said he "was born a card-carrying member of the Labour Party."[26]

Rickman was the godfather of fellow actor Tom Burke.[62] Rickman's brother, Michael, is a Conservative District Councillor in Leicestershire.[63]

Tributes from Rickman's co-stars and contemporaries appeared on social media following the announcement; since his cancer was not publicly known, some—like Ralph Fiennes, who "cannot believe he is gone," and Jason Isaacs, who was "sidestepped by the awful news"—expressed their surprise.[57]

Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling called Rickman "a magnificent actor and a wonderful man." Emma Watson wrote, "I feel so lucky to have worked and spent time with such a special man and actor. I'll really miss our conversations." Daniel Radcliffe appreciated his loyalty and support: "I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in Britain and America. He didn't have to do that."[69]Evanna Lynch said it was scary to bump into Rickman in character as Snape, but "he was so kind and generous in the moments he wasn't Snaping about."[70]Rupert Grint said, "even though he has gone I will always hear his voice."[57]

Kate Winslet, who gave a tearful tribute at the London Film Critics' Circle Awards, remembered Rickman as warm and generous,[71] adding, "And that voice! Oh, that voice." Dame Helen Mirren said his voice "could suggest honey or a hidden stiletto blade."[57]Emma Thompson remembered "the intransigence which made him the great artist he was—his ineffable and cynical wit, the clarity with which he saw most things, including me... I learned a lot from him."[69]Colin Firth told The Hollywood Reporter that, as an actor, Rickman had been a mentor.[72]John McTiernan, director of Die Hard, said Rickman was the antithesis of the villainous roles for which he was most famous on screen.[73] Sir Ian McKellen wrote, "behind [Rickman's] mournful face, which was just as beautiful when wracked with mirth, there was a super-active spirit, questing and achieving, a super-hero, unassuming but deadly effective."[69]

Writer/Director Kevin Smith told a tearful 10-minute story about Rickman on his Hollywood Babble On podcast. Rickman's family offered their thanks "for the messages of condolence."[74]

Severus Snape

Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is an exceptionally skilful wizard whose coldly sarcastic and controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. A Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Snape is hostile to Harry due to his resemblance to his father James, who bullied Snape during their time at Hogwarts.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor and producer. He is known for playing the titular protagonist in the Harry Potter film series, based on the novels by J. K. Rowling.

Rupert Grint

Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint is an English actor and producer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Ron Weasley, one of the three main characters in the Harry Potter film series. Grint was cast as Ron at the age of 11, having previously acted only in school plays and at his local theatre group. From 2001 to 2011, he starred in all eight Harry Potter films.

Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he first achieved success onstage at the Royal National Theatre.

Jim Broadbent

James Broadbent is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film Iris (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for his leading role as Lord Longford in the television film Longford (2006). Broadbent received four BAFTA Film Award nominations and won one for his performance in Moulin Rouge! (2001). He was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Tom Felton

Thomas Andrew Felton is an English actor and musician. Felton began appearing in commercials when he was eight years old for companies such as Commercial Union and Barclaycard. He made his screen debut in the role of Peagreen Clock in The Borrowers (1997) and he portrayed Louis T. Leonowens in Anna and the King (1999). He rose to prominence for his role as Draco Malfoy in the film adaptions of the best-selling Harry Potter fantasy novels by J.K. Rowling. His performances in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 won him two consecutive MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain in 2010 and 2011.

Jason Isaacs

Jason Isaacs is an English actor and producer, best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot, criminal Michael Caffee in the Showtime series Brotherhood and Marshal Georgy Zhukov in The Death of Stalin. In December 2016, he played Dr. Hunter Aloysius "Hap" Percy in the Netflix supernatural series The OA. He played Captain Gabriel Lorca, the commanding officer of the USS Discovery in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery and also provided the voice of The Inquisitor, Sentinel, in Star Wars Rebels, the animated television series, and Admiral Zhao in Avatar: The Last Airbender

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on J. K. Rowling's 1997 novel of the same name. The film is the first instalment of the Harry Potter film series and was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman. Its story follows Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his education. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on J. K. Rowling's 1999 novel of the same name. The film, which is the third instalment in the Harry Potter film series, was written by Steve Kloves and produced by Chris Columbus, David Heyman, and Mark Radcliffe. The story follows Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts as he is informed that a prisoner named Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban intending to kill him.

Julian Glover

Julian Wyatt Glover is an English classical actor, with many stage, television and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

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Richard Griffiths

Richard Thomas Griffiths was an English actor of film, television, and stage. He received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor and the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, all for his role in The History Boys. For the 2006 film adaptation, Griffiths was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

David Bradley (English actor)

David John Bradley is an English actor. He is known for playing Argus Filch in the Harry Potter film series, Walder Frey in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones and Abraham Setrakian in the FX horror series The Strain. He is also an established stage actor with a career that includes a Laurence Olivier Award for his role in a production of King Lear.

Allan Corduner

Allan Corduner is an English actor born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father. He grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol University he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has worked extensively on stage, TV, and film, both in the UK and in the United States. His voice is familiar from many BBC radio plays, audio books and TV documentaries.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the second of two cinematic parts based on J. K. Rowling's 2007 novel of the same name. The film, which is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter series, was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman, David Barron, and Rowling. The story continues to follow Harry Potter's quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes in order to stop him once and for all.

Wizarding World

The Wizarding World is a fantasy media franchise and shared fictional universe centred on a series of films, based on the Harry Potter novel series by J. K. Rowling. The films have been in production since 2000, and in that time ten films have been produced—eight are adaptations of the Harry Potter novels and two are part of the Fantastic Beasts series. The films are owned and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and three more are in various stages of production. The series has collectively grossed over $9.1 billion at the global box office, making it the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all-time.